Wall chaser vs angle grinder
Updated: October 2026
You already own an angle grinder, a diamond disc, and a bolster, and a cheap wall chaser has stalled halfway along a socket drop. The useful question is when the twin-disc tool earns its price, and when two freehand cuts are the sensible method. This wall chaser vs angle grinder page compares those two ways of making a channel. It does not score the eight machines in our [wall chaser comparison](/hub/fireplaces-and-stoves/wall-chaser). Products Compared did not measure time or dust in a lab. The review examples are amazon.co.uk captures from 15 October 2026. Amazon links are affiliate links (tag pcuk26-21).
You already own an angle grinder, a diamond disc, and a bolster, and a cheap wall chaser has stalled halfway along a socket drop.
You already own an angle grinder, a diamond disc, and a bolster, and a cheap wall chaser has stalled halfway along a socket drop. The useful question is when the twin-disc tool earns its price, and when two freehand cuts are the sensible method. This wall chaser vs angle grinder page compares those two ways of making a channel. It does not score the eight machines in our wall chaser comparison. Products Compared did not measure time or dust in a lab. The review examples are amazon.co.uk captures from 15 October 2026. Amazon links are affiliate links (tag pcuk26-21).
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Width stated | Depth stated | Cut direction | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Metabo Metabo MFE 40 wall chaser | Adjustable | Up to 40 mm | Push cut | 8.6 | about £347.99 | View offer |
| Best value |  Einhell Einhell TC-MA 1300 wall chaser | 26 mm | 8–30 mm | Pull cut | 8.3 | about £89.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Draper Draper 54956 125 mm wall chaser | 8–28 mm | 10–30 mm | Pull (review) | 7.7 | about £98.95 | View offer |
On this page
Two kerfs, or two separate cuts
A wall chaser carries two discs, with a width setting between them and a guard that limits depth. One pass is meant to leave two parallel kerfs. An angle grinder cuts one line, then a second, judging the gap by eye. The Draper states 8–28 mm wide. The Einhell TC-MA 1300 states a highlight width of 26 mm. Both MAXXT part numbers state 8–42 mm. The JAOGAUS capture states none of those figures. A freehand second cut can wander. The chaser can still kick if you push a pull-cut Einhell. Neither method finishes the channel when the disc stops.
What neither tool does for you
The web between the kerfs stays in the wall. You knock it out with a bolster or a cold chisel. A grinder plus a bolster can reach the same slot. In England, Approved Document A caps a vertical chase at one third of the leaf and a horizontal chase at one sixth. On a 100 mm leaf that is about 33 mm and about 17 mm, excluding plaster. A 50 mm setting and a freehand plunge can both overcut that example. HSE's control is an M or H class extractor plus RPE at APF 20, and extraction does not capture all silica. A shroud and a port are connections, not that unit. The dust page is that control.
When the wall chaser earns the price
Use the twin-disc tool for a run of channels in a material the listing claims, when you want the kerfs to match without re-judging the gap. Several vertical drops in brick are where a stated width of about 26–30 mm, set once, beats two freehand lines. Einhell reviewers describe a house finished when they pulled slowly. Metabo reviews talk about time saved once a tool vacuum was attached. Those are reports, not a timed trial. Pull on both Einhells in this set. Push on the Metabo. If you do cut, the sequence is how to use a wall chaser.
When the grinder is the rational choice
A stalled chaser is sometimes the correct signal to stop. One Draper buyer found concrete blocks too much and went back to an angle grinder and a dust shroud of about £10. That figure is the reviewer's, not a shop price we checked. The MAXXT R2409-EU listing is not recommended for concrete or stone. A single socket may not repay a dedicated machine if the grinder and bolster are already there. You still owe the same extractor and mask. Keep the grinder when the reviews say the wall is too hard. Which listing, if you buy, is the buying guide.
Common questions
What does a wall chaser do that two grinder cuts do not?
It cuts both sides in one pass, at a width and depth you set, when the listing states those figures. A grinder cuts one line, then another. The chaser does not remove the web, and a 50 mm setting is not legal on every leaf. Kickback is still possible if you push a pull-cut Einhell.
When is a grinder and a bolster the better method?
When the chaser stalls, or the wall is outside what that listing claims. A Draper reviewer left concrete blocks for an angle grinder and a dust shroud. Einhell reviews describe stalling and, in one case, a hammer drill that was easier. The MAXXT R2409-EU page excludes concrete and stone. One short chase may not justify another machine.
Does a chaser remove the middle of the chase?
No. Both methods leave a web. You knock it out with a bolster or a chisel. Speedy Hire describes a narrow channel, not a tool that opens the wall. The Draper box includes a chisel. The grinder does not skip that step either.
Is a chaser less dusty than a grinder?
This set has no laboratory dust figure, so that claim is not available. HSE's control is the same either way: an M or H class extractor on the tool, plus RPE at APF 20. A port and a shroud are connections, not that unit. Reviewers still report dust on the plunge and when a port blocks.
What did reviewers do when the cheap chaser stalled?
One Draper buyer returned to an angle grinder and a dust shroud on concrete blocks. Einhell TC-MA 1300 reviews describe a cool-down after a thermal cut-out, a blocked dust port, and kickback if the tool is pushed. One person found a hammer drill easier. Those are reasons to change method. They are not a reason to force the same jam.
Does a dust shroud change the silica rule?
No. A shroud or a port can hold a hose. HSE still asks for an M or H class extractor and RPE at APF 20, and says extraction does not capture all silica. A review that mentions a shroud of about £10 does not show that the shroud meets that class. Other people in the room are in the dust as well.
Is one short chase a reason to buy?
Often no. If you already cut two lines and knock out the web, one socket may not repay a dedicated tool, especially a cordless price that excludes batteries. A run of brick channels is the case for a set width, if the machine can cut that wall and you follow its direction. The product rows are on the main comparison.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources from the research digest, retrieved 15 October 2026.
- HSE: Chasing concrete and raking mortar (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- HSE: Construction dust (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- HSE: Silicosis (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- HSE: Construction information sheet CN2 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: Approved Document A, structure (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Eden District Council: Wall chases (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- SELECT: Installation of cables (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: Building work, replacements and repairs (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: Approved Document P, electrical safety (retrieved 15 October 2026)